Holiday Decoration Storage 101: Christmas Trees and Ornaments

Whether you’re into fake trees or the real thing, these living room centerpieces bring as much trouble as they do joy. From trying to fit all the right pieces together year after year to testing tangled twinkle lights, Christmas trees come with a lot of work. But proper storage can often be a thrown together process that puts your troubles on repeat for the next year.

As a part of our series on holiday decoration storage, we want to give you a head start on planning out the best way to take care of your tree and its accessories.

Avoid the Fake Tree Scavenger Hunt

It happens every year. You pull out the fake tree, thankful not to deal with the fallen needles of a real one, and then realize you can’t find all the pieces needed to get it up and running.

Instead of searching high and low for all the parts, take the time to store your tree with care this year.

According to Danielle Farrell of The Betty Brigade there is a proper way to store your tree so everything is together next year.

“If you’re keeping your fake tree, we usually recommend finding a larger size Rubbermaid bin and placing all the individual pieces in there, labeling it, and putting it in your basement or attic until next year. The spine of the tree and the base may not fit in the container, depending on size, so using painters tape, attach them to the top of the bin so nothing gets lost,” says Farrell.

It’s easy to forget just how easy it is to forget where you’ve put all the pieces of your tree. Make sure this year that you keep them all together.

Keep Ornaments from Getting Crushed

One of the more difficult parts of having a Christmas tree isn’t the tree itself, but the ornaments used to decorate it. While you may try your best to bubble wrap and properly pack these little bobbles, a year is a long time to keep thin glass intact.

Instead of wrapping your ornaments, Farrell suggests using these common containers to store ornaments.

“Egg cartons work wonders for smaller ornaments. Wine boxes are a great use for the larger bulbs or taller ornaments. Regular sized and shaped bulbs can be stored in their original packaging or you can buy a bulb storage organizer at your local hardware store while they’re on sale,” says Farrell.

Keep the annual tree maintenance to a minimum by planning ahead this year. Seasonal stress can be overwhelming. Don’t let your tree contribute to the tension.

Come back tomorrow for more tips on how to store decorations. Get a plan together now to ensure you don’t set yourself up for a storage disaster during holiday seasons to come.